Peacocks

[chestnutmare]

...Of the Eglu/run

 

I know it's always good for them to have the variety but can it work to keep the hens in the Eglu run and not leave them out at all?

 

We live on a small holding and I don't want to leave them have the run of the land as I don't want the fox to be coming for his meals again. I know I could get a large WIR or fence a bit off, I'm just calculating the costs and wondering how much space it's going to take up... As we're hopefully moving soon I'd rather not set a run up or fencing at the moment. And I'd like to estimate the £.

 

Sorry if this sounds daft - I'm learning!

 

Edit: Also I want to start small. I don't want to build my empire only to decide chicken keeping is not for me.

[sparkysmum]

Hi. My sablepoots & pekins are currently confined to the eglu & run. They are comfy & cosy & have logs & perches to give them something to do. This is not a permanent arrangement however & hopefully when this dreadful weather is over they will be able to access the garden again. My big hens are similarly confined (their choice) to their WIR but again I hope this is temporary.

 

I can't imagine keeping them confined when the weather is good but I think with a run extension the bantams might be quite happy.

[sari]

Mine are currently in the WIR, but am working on organsing the labour for the fencing job to enable them to FR again...can't afford the fencing atm....new car needed and xmas etc...so they are in..but come the spring FRing again!

[chicken bark]

There is a school of thought that says if you never FR your hens then they don't miss it or expect it. Problems only happen when sometimes they are in the run and sometimes they are let out.

 

I would suppose that as long as you had a large enough run then they would happily stay in there all the time.

[migsy]

I agree with Chicken Bark

[bouldercroft]

My girls are in the and run mon-fri as it's dark by the time I get home but I always let them out all day at the weekends.

Looking forward to the nights getting lighter again so they can look forward to after-work free-ranging time

[Redwing]

As long as they ahve room they will be fine

 

A hen requires about 1sqm of space really as a minimum but teh more space the better

 

In a standard Eglu run you would be best to have two hybrid sized chickens or three small bantams

 

Add another metre and you could probably have three chooks or four bantams

 

Overcrowding leads to problems, avoid the temptation to cram chooks in and you'll be ok

[sadietoo]

I agree with Chickenbark and Redwing.

I work 4 full days, and so my two are confined Tuesday to Friday all day in the winter months, they get some supervised free ranging in the warmer evenings..at the weekends and on a Monday they again only get supervised free ranging because of foxes, so that means they don't get that much time out of the eglu run at all at the moment. I only have two chooks and they have a perch etc, and plenty of stuff to rootle about in ...and as long as they can't see me in the house they are fine!! Ideally I will increase the size of their run, with a WIR, but probably this won't happen until next spring. I wouldn't worry too much, main thing is not to overcrowd them.

[enpekt]

A good idea for a temporary WIR you can take with you is to buy some builder's security fencing.

 

Someone we know has done this very successfully.

 

It's a good way to fence off a tidy area in the garden from chickens and keep foxes out, too.

 

The wire mesh ones don't look as "industrial" as the framed ones and are hardly visible at a distance.

[jensplot]

My 3 hens are in the Eglu permanently as it is on my allotment about 2 miles from home, so free-ranging isn't an option (I sometimes let them out when there's no one else around but have to keep an eye on them to make sure they don't scratch up other peoples crops!). I move the run around the plot weekly, so they get a change of scenery and fresh soil, they have fresh greens daily and perches etc to sit on. I'm still getting eggs every day so they must be happy! The door to the Eglu is open just enough for them to get in and out as I am unable to get down at night to shut them in, they've got lots of straw in the coop and a blanket over the top when it's really cold. This is their 5th year there and so far haven't suffered with frostbite or snuffles or Mr Fox. The only problem I have is with the water freezing in the glugs, but I go down early in the morning, swap them over and refill with warm water and sometimes my mum can go over in the afternoon to re-do. Hens seem quite hardy creatures really, they just don't like draughts and wet.

[doctors girls]

i am just like jensplot i have 3 chooks living in an eglu and do the same as her up early to change the frozen water even when i am on my late shift. Our garden is open at the top so free ranging at the moment is a no no plus at one side of the garden the fence is only 4ft high but hopefully that will all change as i am looking at a wir at bay animal housing and the chooks will live in there.we both work fulltime but our chucks are happy well fed, watered and spoilt and i have only had them just over 5 weeks they are brill

Rose

Sara Jane (sj)

Martha

[Janty]

Mine usually free range but due to our first fox/animal attack yesterday mine will be in their runs permanently now. I did feel that the eglu run was a bit small for the two hybrids and that's why I let them out. I will be adding the convertor over the Christmas holidays.

[chickyhazel]

As long as the chickens have enough space you can leave them in the run permanently. Give them each 1square metre of space (buy run extensions if you need to) and add things to amuse them - perches, logs, a dustbath, hanging treats, etc. You can make a good dustbath by filling an old tyre with sand and burying it slightly. You will need to feed them more if they cannot get their own food from free ranging so bear this in mind.

[chestnutmare]

Thank you all for your thoughts. It's good to know that the hens should be happy in their run permanently.

jensplot and doctors girl, do you have standard Eglu classics with three hens?

I'm sorry you had an attack Janty. I too love the idea of free ranging (that's why we did it a few years ago) but it's too much worry now.

[Chicken shack]

You could get the fencing they sell in the omlet shop and fence off you part of your plot. This can be move around. We do this in our garden but only let them out when we are there incase of Mr Fox. When you move take is with you. Good luck.

[coco]

I used Omlet netting to fence off an area for the girls as I didn't like them being in the run all the time. Now we have the new WIR they will be staying in there all the time, I'm hoping the grass might grow back in the spring.

[Guest]

We saw foxy-looking paw prints in the snow, so our chooks are in the WIR full time – it’s too cold to stand around and watch them, and the ground’s too icy to scratch up anyway! Today, all three were observed sitting on a perch, casually watching ratty steal their food!! (Traps and poison – and I still can’t get him!!) Chooks were then bribed into their eglu run for the rest of the day – ratty can’t get in there to steal their food ... yet

[chickiepiggies]

i have a WIR for 4 hens, no free range time at the moment only at weekends as i work full time. But as of next week i'm part time so more chicken time.

they play in the garden only when i'm there to keep an eye out i watch them from the cosy conservatory

They have a 2.5m x 3.5m sqaure run for them to play in being cold and snowy they dont seem to mind being in there as long as they have there warm mash/worm/corn/porridge mix every morning